Gérard Watkins

Gérard Watkins is an English-French actor, playwright, director, and songwriter. As a stage actor he has performed in over forty productions in Paris with such directors as Véronique Bellegarde, Julie Beres, Jean-Claude Buchard, Elizabeth Chailloux, Michel Didym, André Engel, Frederic Fisbach, Marc François, Daniel Jeanneteau, Philipe Lanton, Jean-Louis Martinelli, Lars Noren, Claude Régy, Yann Ritsema, Bernard Sobel, Viviane Theophilides, and Jean-Pierre Vincent. Among his critically acclaimed performances are Ian in Sarah Kane's Blasted, Edmond in King Lear, and Rosalind in As you Like it. In the Cinema he is perhaps best known for his role in the 2009 film Taken as Patrice Saint Clair, the sex trafficking kingpin that runs the operation that kidnapped the protagonist's 17-year old daughter, but he has also performed with directors as Julie Lopez Curval, Jérome Salle, Yann Samuel, Julian Schnabel, Hugo Santiago, and Peter Watkins. Since 1994 he has directed his own theatre company, the Perdita Ensemble, where he has staged all of his plays, the Secret Capital, Follow Me, The Tower, In the Faraway Forest, Icone, Identity, Lost, and I Don't Remember Very Well.

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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

PowerfulRealHeartbreaking

The true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Julian Schnabel
CAST:  Mathieu Amalric  •  Emmanuelle Seigner  •  Marie-Josée Croze  •  Anne Consigny

The true story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Julian Schnabel
CAST:  Mathieu Amalric  •  Emmanuelle Seigner  •  Marie-Josée Croze  •  Anne Consigny

They Came Back (2004)

The lives of the residents of a small French town are changed when thousands of the recently dead inexplicably come back to life and try to integrate themselves into society that has changed for them.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robin Campillo
CAST:  Géraldine Pailhas  •  Jonathan Zaccaï  •  Frédéric Pierrot  •  Catherine Samie

The lives of the residents of a small French town are changed when thousands of the recently dead inexplicably come back to life and try to integrate themselves into society that has changed for them.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Robin Campillo
CAST:  Géraldine Pailhas  •  Jonathan Zaccaï  •  Frédéric Pierrot  •  Catherine Samie

Normandy Nude (2018)

At the Mêle sur Sarthe, a small Norman village, farmers are affected by a crisis. Georges Balbuzard, the mayor of the city, is not one to let them down and decides to try everything to save his village ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Philippe Le Guay
CAST:  François Cluzet  •  Toby Jones  •  François-Xavier Demaison  •  Arthur Dupont

At the Mêle sur Sarthe, a small Norman village, farmers are affected by a crisis. Georges Balbuzard, the mayor of the city, is not one to let them down and decides to try everything to save his village ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Philippe Le Guay
CAST:  François Cluzet  •  Toby Jones  •  François-Xavier Demaison  •  Arthur Dupont

Le monde qui nous perd (2015)

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DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Gérard Watkins  •  Martin Pautard  •  Patrick Azam  •  Corentin Koskas

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DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Gérard Watkins  •  Martin Pautard  •  Patrick Azam  •  Corentin Koskas

Public Security (1987)

Tempted by an important contract, Anna, a renowned writer, agrees to write a screenplay. But she lacks inspiration. She talks to her old university professor. No solution... Or maybe one... Take inspiration from reality. Desperate to express what seems to her to be ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gabriel Benattar
CAST:  Sophie Duez  •  Jean-Pierre Kalfon  •  Daniel Gélin  •  Bernard Haller

Tempted by an important contract, Anna, a renowned writer, agrees to write a screenplay. But she lacks inspiration. She talks to her old university professor. No solution... Or maybe one... Take inspiration from reality. Desperate to express what seems to her to be ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Gabriel Benattar
CAST:  Sophie Duez  •  Jean-Pierre Kalfon  •  Daniel Gélin  •  Bernard Haller

Les danseurs du Mozambique (1992)

A novelist finds herself in an auction where two statuettes are up for sale: "The Mozambique Dancers". According to the legend, the one who owns both statues becomes infinitely rich but the one who owns only one of the two pieces is cursed forever...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Philippe Lefebvre
CAST:  Gérard Watkins  •  Thierry Lhermitte  •  Jacques François  •  Anne Létourneau

A novelist finds herself in an auction where two statuettes are up for sale: "The Mozambique Dancers". According to the legend, the one who owns both statues becomes infinitely rich but the one who owns only one of the two pieces is cursed forever...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Philippe Lefebvre
CAST:  Gérard Watkins  •  Thierry Lhermitte  •  Jacques François  •  Anne Létourneau

Je me fais rare (2006)

Daniel, a filmmaker is convinced that cinema is dying as an art form, and thinks he is a new Don Quichotte.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Dante Desarthe
CAST:  Dante Desarthe  •  Colas Gutman  •  Valérie Niddam  •  Gérard Watkins

Daniel, a filmmaker is convinced that cinema is dying as an art form, and thinks he is a new Don Quichotte.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Dante Desarthe
CAST:  Dante Desarthe  •  Colas Gutman  •  Valérie Niddam  •  Gérard Watkins

The Accusation (2021)

The Farels are a power couple: Jean is a prominent French pundit and his wife Claire an essayist known for her radical feminism. Together they have a model son, Alexandre, who is a student at a prestigious American university. During a brief visit to Paris, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yvan Attal
CAST:  Ben Attal  •  Charlotte Gainsbourg  •  Mathieu Kassovitz  •  Pierre Arditi

The Farels are a power couple: Jean is a prominent French pundit and his wife Claire an essayist known for her radical feminism. Together they have a model son, Alexandre, who is a student at a prestigious American university. During a brief visit to Paris, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Yvan Attal
CAST:  Ben Attal  •  Charlotte Gainsbourg  •  Mathieu Kassovitz  •  Pierre Arditi

Our Brothers (2022)

Inspired by the story of Malik Oussekine, an affair of police violence which is believed to have caused the death of 22-year-old Malik Oussekine on the night of 5-6 December 1986, following several weeks of student protests against a university reform bill  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rachid Bouchareb
CAST:  Reda Kateb  •  Lyna Khoudri  •  Raphaël Personnaz  •  Samir Guesmi

Inspired by the story of Malik Oussekine, an affair of police violence which is believed to have caused the death of 22-year-old Malik Oussekine on the night of 5-6 December 1986, following several weeks of student protests against a university reform bill  (more)

DIRECTION:  Rachid Bouchareb
CAST:  Reda Kateb  •  Lyna Khoudri  •  Raphaël Personnaz  •  Samir Guesmi
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